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Hollows?

How do hollows work? How does Arrancar transformation work? What do their masks signify? There are so many unanswered questions about hollows, there is a tiny amount of information on them compared to Shinigami. What's the deal with hollows?

1) Hollows are corrupted Human Souls that turned somewhat 'animalistic' and succumbed to their need to consume other souls/humans/hollows to fill their 'hole'. This 'hole' came about from the corrosion of their hearts as they died without fulfilling their wishes and have (some shallow, some deep) regrets.

2) Their mask serves as a form of protection (From Wiki) for their identity and 'naked instinct'. I presume it means to prevent further corrosion of the body after the heart, it's like a natural evolution to protect the remaining soul as it thrives in the rejecting environment of 'Earth' and the harshness of Hueco Mundo.

3) Menos are a conglomeration of Hollows. They become one massive, mindless entity and mainly consume other Menos rather than human souls, this is the first and lowest stage of Menos named Gillian. Through enough cannibalism and if a dominant conscious takes over the entire Hollow-merged entity, they Gillian may evolve to Adjuchas or even Vastolorde level. (If Hollows are infantry; Gillians are light artillery, Adjuchas are heavy artillery and Vastolordes considered generals in an army.)

4) Hueco Mundo works like the animal kingdom (assumption through Grimmjow's flashback). While Soul Society has it's governmental organizations and military order, Hueco Mundo has food chains and natural hierachy where the fit survives, consumes the weak, grows stronger and dominates.

5) Arrancars only officially appeared when Aizen entered Hueco Mundo. Aizen used the Hougyoku and enhanced some Menos with Shinigami powers transforming them in Arrancars. (It is vague but hinted that there were natural Arrancars before Aizen came. This could be the Vastolordes achieving full humanoid form but true or not, this theory remains a mystery.)

I knew most of that already, but it's the details that I want to know. Why is it that when the masks are taken off they gain such a enormous power boost? Also, Arrancar existed before the orb of distortion, there were "natural" Arrancar. But how does that work? Do they no longer need to protect the raw instinct? Why do they eat other hollows? If they eat all the hollows does that hollow inside ever fill up?

I knew most of that already, but it's the details that I want to know. Why is it that when the masks are taken off they gain such a enormous power boost? Also, Arrancar existed before the orb of distortion, there were "natural" Arrancar. But how does that work? Do they no longer need to protect the raw instinct? Why do they eat other hollows? If they eat all the hollows does that hollow inside ever fill up?

that's because they fear degrading their current menos level, which results in becoming an entity with no mind of it's own...

I think the more correct way of saying it is that they merge with other hollows, the other hollows live within them don't they? Do arrancar need to eat to no degrade? Can hollows naturally change into things that aren't hollows?

I think the more correct way of saying it is that they merge with other hollows, the other hollows live within them don't they? Do arrancar need to eat to no degrade? Can hollows naturally change into things that aren't hollows?

Gillians are many hollows that merge together, so I guess you could say that that the hollows "live within them". I don't think this applies to the hollows they eat though.

I think that gin0va was talking about adjuchas, which have one dominate personality (though all the other hollows still exist within the adjuchas) and need to eat hollows so that they don't turn back into Gillians.

I'm not sure what arrancars eat... Yammi ate a lot of human souls, but he didn't like them. So probably arrancars eat other hollows, there doesn't seem to be anything else in Hueco Mundo to eat.

I don't think that hollows can "naturally" change... But they can change without the aid of the Hougyoku into arrancar. Both Grand Fisher (after his fight with Ichigo) and Dordonii (who said that arrancar created with the Hougyoku were stronger than those who weren't) have shown this to be the case.

well, a natural arrancar is like a vizard... they were shimigami that tapped into the hollow power naturaly and were expelled from SS for it. I imagine there must be some cases with hollows as well.
And with gillians I think is more that is a enormous consumption of hollows, not mergine. I think on grimmjaws flashback he said thats how it worked.

Alright, here goes though it's mostly assumptions and I may be wrong....

1)

Originally Posted by 12LetterName

Why is it that when the masks are taken off they gain such a enormous power boost?... Do they no longer need to protect the raw instinct?

It's the other way around actually. Taking the reason they have mask on is cause to protect their 'naked' selves, it would be logical that when they become Arrancars they're able to rip out their mask and gain a boost in power because they gained Shinigami powers. (Cause, somehow, unlike Hollows, Shinigami could maintain their 'human' form.. perhaps due to their 'plusse' energy or Soul Society's 'lenient' environment. Thus, by gaining plusse energy or enough energy from Shinigami 'powers', Arrancars are able to stabilise their 'wild' and unstable existence.)

2)

Originally Posted by 12LetterName

Why do they eat other hollows? If they eat all the hollows does that hollow inside ever fill up?

Originally Posted by 12LetterName

I think the more correct way of saying it is that they merge with other hollows, the other hollows live within them don't they? Do arrancar need to eat to no degrade?

I think Hollows don't cannibalise, only when they reach Menos level (when Human souls aren't enough), they start to eat other Menos. Their 'need to eat' won't disappear until they become Vastolorde Menos (I think). Why they merge, I'm not to sure but when they do, they become one raw being with no single mind until a strong mind takes over and the others just cease to exist but adds onto the prevailing one's reiatsu.

Arrancars can be produced by reacting the Hougyoku with only and any stage of Menos (no Hollows thus far). I don't think they have a need to 'eat' anymore since the Hougyoku gives them Shinigami 'powers' and stabilised their existance. However, I believe they still retain the ability to cannibalise (as shown by Szayel Aporro eating his Fraccion).

As for the following questions;

Originally Posted by 12LetterName

Also, Arrancar existed before the orb of distortion, there were "natural" Arrancar. But how does that work?

Originally Posted by 12LetterName

Can hollows naturally change into things that aren't hollows?

I'm totally at a lost and can't answer them... sorry but I hope this helps.. abit hahaha
(Man! That was fun! XP)

So then everyone in the world, deep down inside their soul...is wearing a kimono (maybe) and has a katana??? Lol since all the people who die and become hollows can remove their mask and become arancar with zanpakuto's and all the people who go to Soul Society can potentially go to the gotei 13 where they become a shinigami with a zanpakuto and a kimono.

I dunno it just seems kinda weird to me, I want a arancar to be in their released state all the time without needing to carry a sword.

Well... I guess so since anyone who dies in the Bleach Universe either becomes a plusse or a minus. But only the strong and exceptional get to become Captains or part of the Espada.

So why do you want an Arrancar to be in their released state 24/7?... I'm happy Kubo decided to give them a compacted form, I mean they'll look weird walking around/executing missions in their bulky/massive released states all the time.